In Chelsea's official show "CFC Unlocked", Morgan Rogers looked back on his journey from a ball boy at West Brom to joining Chelsea, discussing his loan spells, his friendship with Cole Palmer, and the emotion of facing Messi in the World Cup semi-final. This article is part two of the exclusive interview.

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Rogers: We're not in a rush to name our attacking trio, we'll use whatever name fits.

In the show, we also wanted to get to know you as a player. Let's start with your childhood. What were you like as a young kid?

Rogers: I think I was a quiet but confident child. I could express myself confidently when I was with family, but in large crowds or unfamiliar environments, sometimes I struggled. However, I've always been talkative and energetic, and I just wanted to play football in a fun and free way. When I was young, my life pretty much revolved around football.

Actually, I think that's still the case now. I'm usually the loudest person in the room, always joking and laughing, and when I play football, I try to enjoy the game as much as possible.

What's your earliest football memory?

Rogers: It has to be being a ball boy at West Brom. I played for West Brom as a young kid and was in their academy. But when I think back to my earliest memory, I remember going to watch matches and having the opportunity to be a ball boy. I loved being on the sideline, being able to touch the match ball and being right next to the action on the pitch. You could see the players warming up and see them in the tunnel. For a kid like me, that was as close as I could get to a professional match.

At that point, I thought: "I want to be like them. One day, I want to be on that pitch, to be one of them." So I really enjoyed being a ball boy. That was probably the first time I remember thinking to myself: "This is amazing, I want to play football like this."

You mentioned watching those players and wanting to become one of them. Did you believe from a young age that you could reach that level, or was it just a wish?

Rogers: I don't know. It's hard to say now what I thought back then. I'm not sure if I was thinking about the ultimate goal. I probably just wanted to be the best 10 or 11-year-old player in the country, without thinking much further ahead.

I wish I could be like that now—it would take a lot of pressure off. But as you get older and learn more, you can't help but think about what might happen in the future. I think when I was young I was more naive. Of course, you have hopes and you believe in yourself, but that only becomes real when you're a bit older.

Was there an age when you really felt you could play at the highest level?

Rogers: Perhaps when I got my academy scholarship and started training full-time. School was over, and you start training every day, and you think, "This could really go somewhere, I could actually do this."

Before that, the prospect seemed very uncertain. People would say that maybe only one person from each age group would make it, and they'd give you some scary low percentages. Coaches would also say, "This path isn't for everyone." Hearing that, you wouldn't think too early on that you'd definitely make it. So I think at that stage, I started to believe it could happen.

Tell us about your childhood football experience. Did you mainly play street football, or did you join an academy early on?

Rogers: I joined an academy very early, but I could still play other games. I think the structured academy training probably started around nine or ten years old. Before that, I'd train a few times a week at West Brom, play matches on Sundays, and also play with friends in the garden and on the street. Like many kids, you'd get together with friends from your street or neighbourhood and play.

Did you often play with older kids back then? Cole mentioned in the show that when he joined the program, he used to play with older kids on small enclosed pitches, which taught him how to deal with physical challenges.

Rogers: For me, it was playing with my older brothers.

Really?

Rogers: Yes. Especially one of my older brothers, and my dad. They never went easy on me. I think they were the first people to teach me how to deal with that. So later on, when I played up age groups with bigger players in the academy, I was better prepared.

When I was young, they wouldn't let me off lightly, they wouldn't deliberately let me win, and they wouldn't give me everything I wanted. They made me understand that nothing is given to you freely; you have to earn it yourself. These lessons were very important to me.

What did coaches see in you that made them let you play up age groups? Was it technical ability, physical attributes, or match intensity? Was there something that stood out?

Rogers: I think it was my technical ability when I was young. I wasn't a big kid growing up, and when I faced physically stronger opponents, I found it very difficult. I was always the first to complain about fouls, being pulled back, or being fouled. So it definitely wasn't because of my physical attributes. Fortunately, as I got older and stronger later on, I was able to use other qualities in matches.

You've said that a player's development isn't a straight line. You mentioned that at one stage in Manchester City's academy, you were the standout player; then you went on loan and took things step by step through different competitions. How important was that experience in helping you become the player you are today?

Rogers: It was everything. I needed the next challenge, the next step forward, to get out of my comfort zone and discover what kind of player I'd be in professional football. If you'd seen me in the academy, I don't think I was the player people see week in and week out now. I was completely different, and I learned these things during my loan spells.

Academy football certainly has its value. It can teach you technical skills and help you understand the fundamentals of playing football; football is still football after all, and you definitely learn in matches and training. But the way professional matches are actually played, how much opponents want to win, what it takes to win, and the methods teams are willing to use to win—these things can't be replicated in academy matches. You can only experience them in first-team matches.

I had these experiences from a very young age, which allowed me to keep progressing and improving over time. By the time I was ready for the next stage, I'd been through good and bad situations, knew how to deal with setbacks, and knew how to play in different ways. These experiences have largely shaped who I am today.

Everyone's path is different. I think when I was 14, 15, or 16, people might have thought I'd break through at 17 and go straight up through all the England youth teams. But my path wasn't like that, and my development didn't progress that way. I wasn't ready at that point to become that kind of player. Some people, when they're 16, 17, or 18, have the talent to play professional football, play first-team football, and shine immediately, but I couldn't do that at that time. I needed time to mature, learn, and understand myself better. Now that I'm here playing at a level where I know I'm capable, I think those earlier experiences helped me, making this journey smoother for me now.

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